Isobutene is an important monomer in the manufacture of fuel additives, butyl rubber polymer, and antioxidants (Bianca et al., Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol., 2012, 93, 1377-1387).
Manufacturers of goods using isobutene as feedstock depend on a number of petroleum-based sources, including (i) a C4 stream from a steam cracker separated from the butadiene, (ii) butene-butane fractions from a catalytic cracker and (iii) n-butane (from LPG) that is isomerized to isobutane and dehydrogenated to isobutene.
Given a reliance on petrochemical feedstocks and energy intensive processes, biotechnology offers an alternative approach via biocatalysis. Biocatalysis is the use of biological catalysts, such as enzymes or whole cells, to perform biochemical transformations of organic compounds.
Accordingly, against this background, it is clear that there is a need for sustainable methods for producing intermediates, in particular isobutene, wherein the methods are biocatalysis based. Both bioderived feedstocks and petrochemical feedstocks are viable starting materials for the biocatalysis processes.